Mayjay

Faster Than Light's recent major update has me returning to space after months of hiatus with a newfound sense of appreciation for the indie title. With it being ported to the iPad, I couldn't help but think that the best platform for the game would be the 3DS.

<<< A crude mock-up

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FTL's combat is perfectly suited for the 3DS' touchscreen. One of my main weaknesses when playing (which has led my rag-tag crew to countless deaths) is multi-tasking when the action gets too frenetic. It's tough to micro-manage your crew members to put out fires, fend off on-board intruders, and repair damaged systems while simultaneously trying to attack the enemy ship and survive their onslaught. I've been playing the game on a PC/Mac, and though the mouse-keyboard combo works well, I can't help but think how much greater control a touchscreen would provide when it comes to moving crew members and diverting power to systems. Using weapons, drones, and systems could be done via the touchscreen or mapped to the d-pad, shoulder buttons, and face buttons.

The current single screen setup has the enemy ship in its own window, giving it a picture-in-picture look. By utilizing the 3DS' dual screens, each ship would have its own screen, giving it a more cleaner feel. Ideally you'd want your ship on the larger screen because of how the current layout is designed, but it is what it is.

FTL on the 3DS makes a lot of sense and I'd be more than willing to re-purchase it.